Chronicles of Shige
by Lady Addiction
Summary: A look at Shige, precanon.


_**CHRONICLES OF SHIGE**  
By Lady Addiction_

DISCLAIMER: Whistle! is not mine. This fic is; please don't post or copy without permission.

RATING: PG

WARNINGS: Spoilers for Shige's story; OOCness?

SUMMARY: A series of drabbles about our favourite flashy blond.

AUTHOR NOTES:

1. I'm making some guesses as to what happened to Shige's family at the time he ran away. Also, since my Japanese is terrible, I probably misunderstood that little conversation that explained why he ran away. If there are any canon corrections to be made, please let me know.

2. I'm assuming that Shige is living in a Buddhist temple from the manga. Please correct me if he is actually in a Shinto temple.

3. I know that Honma is the captain when Kaza transferred in, but I'm assuming that  
just became captain that year, since it didn't seem as if he had any particularly strong skills that would allow the club to vote him as captain in his 2nd year.

4. Geiko – is the Kyoto term for geisha.

5. Anything I write about Shige's parents are just from my imagination, fed by what I understood of the manga.

6. This really makes me wish I know Japanese better. Shige's a hard character to write without his distinctive Kansai accent.  


WWWW

1.

They thought he didn't know. He was only a child, after all – what did a child know? 

They were wrong.

Maybe he wasn't book-smart, but he watched and listened with care. He knew what it meant when his mother would get up late at night, her sock-clad feet almost soundless against the polished hardwood floors, as she crept downstairs. He knew whose were the heavier footsteps that followed her back up. He had read enough manga to make a guess as to what happened when the shoji screens slid open and close.

Ten-year-old Satou Shigeki huddled beneath his thick blanket, small hands touching a beloved photograph taken not more than a year ago. There was his mother in her favourite dark-green kimono with the yellow plum blossoms and the matching red-and-gold obi, as beautiful as any of the maiko and geiko who wandered around the streets of Kyoto, smiling happily in front of the camera. He was there, smiling proudly in a black and white yukata with embroidered flying cranes as he held up the bags of goldfish he had won at the nearby booth.

And right behind him, his arm wrapped around his mother's waist, was Satou Shigeru, his father. Chichi was at his most handsome in the red and black kimono with the gold carp pattern, his dark hair tousled, while his mouth was spread in a wide grin. In his other hand, he was holding up a soccer ball.

Shige fought the sniffles as he gently traced the face of his father. Just a year ago, his chichi would have come home, carrying bags of leftovers from the restaurant for their family to enjoy. He, his mother, and his father would sit around the table, laughing and talking. Then his father would play soccer with him before they went to bed.

His father would never be able to do that with him again.

Two months after the photo was taken during one of the town festivals, a fire had broken out in the neighborhood. Satou Shigeru had died after rescuing two of the inhabitants and going after the third. The burning house collapsed while he was still in there.

His chichi was gone.

But his mother, his mother . . .

Shige buried his head in his pillow.

WWWW

2.

"Nanya-te?!"

Twelve-year-old Satou Shigeki stared at his mother. "Shigeki," she said, trying to reach out to him.

Shige knocked her hand away. "You're marrying that dirty old man?! You can't marry him!"

"Shigeki! Fujimura-han is a respectable man with an excellent business. And he is around my age," his mother replied in a sharp, scolding tone.

"I don't care! You can't marry him! Why do you need to marry him? You're already sharing his bed, aren't you?!" 

His mother's slap made a loud thwack!, but the hurt was minimal. Still, trembling, Shige held his bruised cheek and gaped. His mother rarely hit him. Chased after him with a broom, smacked his fingers with a spoon, yes. But she had never, ever raised a hand in him in such a manner.  
"Okaa-han…"

"Shigeki." His mother retracted her hand, her cheeks flushed, her tone cold. "I think it's time we spoke about this, Shigeki." She took a deep breath, looked away, then met his stunned eyes.

"You already know I was a maiko, Shigeki, when I was young. I met Fujimura-han then. We…we fell in love, but he had to leave Kyoto. When I saw him again, I was a geiko and six years had passed. I was being courted by Satou-han, who wanted to marry me, but I still loved Fujimura-han. Shigeki," her voice softened, "you are not Satou-han's son, but Fujimura-han's."

"No, Okaa-han, you're lying! You're lying!" Shige was backing away, his chest feeling as if a red-hot brand had just been plunged into it. His vision blurred and he blinked wildly. "Okaa-han, that's not true!"

"At that time, Fujimura-han and I couldn't get married. But Satou-han, he was willing to marry me still, even when he knew I was already carrying you. I don't regret it, Shigeki, Satou-han was a good man and I loved him dearly." His mother's words never stopped, a black wave that washed away all his preconceived notions and childish beliefs.

"But I still love Fujimura-han. I never stopped. And now, now there is a chance for us to finally get married and become a family. He wants to get to know you, Shigeki. He doesn't want to replace Satou-han as your father, but he wants to become your family, too," she continued, her voice going softer, begging her only child to listen.

Shige was openly crying now. But when his mother tried to reach out to him, he ran off.

A month later, Shige watched his mother marry Fujimura.

Three months after that, as soon as school ended, Shige ran away.

WWWW

3.

"Oi, Shigeki!"

The thirteen-year-old sputtered as a bucket of water was poured on his head. "Nanya?!" He rubbed at his eyes and squinted, only to see the lined face of the temple master staring right back at him. "Oshou!"

"Idiot child! You have school today! Get up." With a forceful chop to the head, the diminutive Buddhist priest walked out of the plain bedroom.

Shige grumbled as he got up and headed for the toilet. He washed, brushed his teeth, and changed into the uniform of Sakura Jousui Middle School. When he walked into the breakfast room, his master's other students were already seated, enjoying a plain meal of rice, miso, tofu, and vegetables. He settled in beside one of the college students, and joined in the casual conversation easily.

A few minutes later, he was slipping on his old pair of sneakers. "Oi, oshou, I'm leaving!"

"Good. Enjoy your youth."

"That doesn't make sense." Shige scampered off when he saw his master begin to swing an enormous fan at his head. "Ja na!"

He yawned as he strolled into Sakura Jousui. Already he could feel the other students staring at him. He stuck out his tongue at them, deliberately running his hand through his shoulder-length, newly-dyed blond hair. The chunky bead bracelets at his wrists clunked softly against each other. "This is so boring," he thought.

Just then, he caught sight of a homemade poster for the Sakura Jousui Soccer Club. He paused in front of it, eyeing it with interest. "Maybe I'll drop in and see if it's interesting," he murmured to himself. Then the bell rang and he hurried to his classroom.

The next afternoon, he strolled into the soccer field behind the school in a pair of worn red jogging pants which he had matched with a sleeveless black muscle shirt. The soccer field was filled with other boys, ranging from first-years to third-years.

"All first-years, if you want to sign up, line up here!" Shige joined the long line-up at the table set by the bench. While he stood waiting, he watched as games were played. During this time, first-year students were allowed to join in so that their skill levels could be reviewed.

As time passed, Shige's mild interest for the club had greatly diminished. From what he could see, the second- and third-years were more concerned in goofing and showing off. Only the first-years played with any degree of sincerity, and many could barely dribble, let alone score against their bigger and more experienced opponents. There was a chance that they would be better once the season started, but right now, they were an embarassment.

Except for one player.

Shige watched a boy his age with thick brown hair and fair skin skillfully outplay second- and third-year athletes. His ball control was well above what it should be for a Middle School student, and he passed with great accuracy. Though he was playing the position of a forward, Shige thought he would probably play much better as a midfielder as the game seemed to center around him.

"Name?"

He looked down at the bored third-year sitting at the table, and grinned his father's shit-eating grin. "Satou Shigeki. Oi, sempai, who is that guy with the brown hair?"

"He's a first-year. Mizuno Tatsuya." Shige eyed the tightening around the other boy's mouth, his grin twisting into a smirk.

"Interesting guy, don't you think?"

WWWWW

4.

"Shige!"

Shige looked up from his car magazine, his bentou already empty in front of him. "Tatsu-bon! What are you running for, idiot? Aren't you just in the class next door?"

Mizuno Tatsuya wiped his face in the sleeve of his uniform. His light-brown eyes were intense as they met Shige's. "I just heard from Uchida-sempai that you quit the club! Is it true?"

"Ee ya, it's true." He returned to his magazine and idly flipped it to the next page. In his peripheral vision, he kept an eye on his friend's reddening face.

"Why?! You, you're the best player in the club! Why quit?!"

"Ooh, did Tatsu-bon just say I'm better than he is?! Tatsu-bon, you're so cuute!" He reached over and pinched Mizuno's cheek. The other boy knocked his hand away and glared furiously. He grinned. Tatsu-bon was so easy to rile up. "Don't call me Tatsu-bon! Shige, stop changing the subject! Why are you quitting?"

Shige sighed and put down the magazine. His feet went up on his desk, his arms crossed on his chest, and his chair tipped on its two back legs. "Tatsu-bon, you know why I'm quitting. That club, it's a waste of time."

"Shige…"

"It's true. You saw how we played in those practice matches. Sure, they were only practice matches, but sempai-tachi, they didn't play seriously at all! During our practice sessions, we barely do the kind of training we need to do to compete for the tournaments. And I don't like how they seem to be relying on the two of us to win." He met Mizuno's eyes, his own dark and earnest. "With people like that, there is no way I'm going to get better as a soccer player. Besides, the girls' sewing club seems interesting. Look what I made!" He reached into his bag and pulled out a white cloth with an impeccable embroidery of a swallow.

Mizuno ignored the sewing project. "If you're serious at all about soccer, you should play regardless of the club members. And we can turn this club around, Shige. Uchida-sempai will listen to us if we talk to him!"

"Tatsu-bon, don't be an idiot. Uchida is the least interested of them all. He's only in the club to look good for the girls and because he likes showing off that little trick move he has. There's no way you can convince him. Why don't you quit, too? Or go to Musashi-no-Mori? Now that's a good school for those who want to be pro soccer players!"

Mizuno's sharp expletive cut the air and made Shige involuntarily flinch, his chair tipping dangerously. He reached out quickly and held onto the desk, stabilizing himself. "I'm not a coward like you, Shige! I won't let other people run me off something I want to do! Talent means nothing if you don't use it!" With that, he stormed off.

Shige sighed once more and looked out the classroom window. "I hope for your own sake, Tatsu-bon, that you can change the club.

"But I doubt it."

WWWW

5.

After that, his friendship with Mizuno reached all-time lows. They remained polite with each other, but the budding bond that had been starting to form between them had broken with Shige's resignation from the soccer club. Mizuno began to make good friends among the other star athletes of Sakura Jousui even as he persisted with the soccer club, while Shige stuck with the troublemakers and the unexceptional students.

When a boy transferred into his class, he had looked on with mild interest as he was introduced as a former soccer player at the legendary Musashi-no-Mori Middle School, one of the top schools in Tokyo. He was unimpressed and continued looking over the embroidery patterns for the school sewing club.

When he saw that kid's first game, he had shaken his head and joined a conversation about motorcycles.

When he noticed that Kaza-whatever hadn't returned to class for over a week, curiousity began to stir again. Had the ahou decided to run away with his tail tucked between his legs after that abysmal showing?

When he watched the end of that climatic battle between the soccer regulars and Tatsu-bon's ragtag team of substitutes, he couldn't take his eyes off of the chibi.

And when he saw the boy he was beginning to call pochi in his head stand off against one of the most dangerous gangs in town, he made up his mind.

Any club that had such an interesting guy in their midst couldn't be that bad.

Tatsu-bon had failed to change Sakura Jousui soccer club. Shige was eager to see if this little boy could.

-FIN-


End file.
